Game apparatus.



'No. 742,927. PATENTED NOV. 3, 1903.

G..H. STULTS. I GAME APPARATUS.

APPLLOATION FILED AUG. 14, 1902.

no MODEL,

wane/0000 No. Maser.

UNITED STATES Fatented. hl'ovemloer PATENT OFFICE.

GAME APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 742,927, dated November 3,1905.

Application filed August 14, 1902. Serial No. 119,666. (No model.) 4

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GRACE H. STULTS, a citizen of the United Stat-es,residin g atRoslindale Station, in the county of Sufiolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to games of the tennis or ping-pong type, and has for its object to provide an improved apparatus in the nature of a barrier, which corresponds to the ordinary net, and to provide said barrier with pockets, into which balls are to be driven when the game is in progress. It is furthermore designed to have the pockets separate and distinct from one another, so as to receive but one ball at a time, and also to ar range the pockets in sets, one of which is designed to receive the balls from one side of the barrier and the other from the opposite side *of the barrier.

Although the present game may be played out of doors it is particularly designed as an indoor game, and therefore another object of the invention is to provide for conveniently mounting the barrier upon a table or similar support, so that it may be conveniently applied and removed without damaging the table.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings-,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the present apparatus mounted in position for use upon a table. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the barrier. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken through one of the barrier-supports and the table to show the manner of connecting the former to the latter. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the table-engaging clamps.

Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

The present apparatus embodies a barrier 1, formed of wood, pasteboard,or other strong, light, and durable material of any desired size, although preferably four feet in length by eight inches in width and formed in longitudinal half sections or bars which are jointed by means of a hinged connection 2, so that the board or barrier may be folded and packed in a box two feet in length. Itwill of course be understood that these dimensions are not absolutely essential, but have been determined by experiment to be the most conven ient for the standard sizes of extension or dining-room tables. A central longitudinal series ofcircularopenings3is formed through out the length of the barrier, each opening being preferably six inches in diameter and provided at one side with a pocket 4., formed of some textile material and tacked or otherwise secured circumferentially about the opening, the pockets being disposed alter nately at opposite sides of the barrier, thereby presenting two-sets of pockets, one of which opens at one side of the barrier for the reception of balls from that side and the other set opening through the opposite side of the barrier for the reception of balls from that side of the barrier. It is designed to have the barrier supported about ten inches above the table by means of opposite legs or standards 5, each of which has its upper end bifurcated to receive the lower edge of thebarrier, with a removable pin 6 or other suitable fastening passed through the standard and the barrier, so as to detachably connect the same. Each leg or standard is connected to the adjacent edge of the table 7 by means of a horizontally-disposed substantially U seen that the device of the presentinvention consists of a barrier made up of a substantially horizontal support and pockets carried by the support, some of the pockets opening at one side of the support and others opening at the opposite side thereof.

In connection with the hereinbefore-described apparatus or barrier it is preferred to use the ordinary ping-pong balls and rackets, for which no claim is made, as the present invention relates to the barrier only.

In playing the game the opponents arrange themselves at opposite sides of the barrier and at the respective ends of the table. One of the players then serves the ball over the barrier, and the other player endeavors to return the ball, after it has struck the table, into one of the pockets. The ball must always he served over the barrier and can be returned only after the first rebound from the table. So long as theball is kept in rebounding motion it is in play. Should the ball be returned over the barrier it is the servers ball and may be played by him to enter one of the pockets. The count is substantially the same as in tennis and pingpong, the points being twenty, forty, sixty, deuce, and game. Two consecutive games out of three will win a set, which finishes the play. These rules are gen-' eral and may be varied to suit the players.

What I claim is 1. A game apparatus embodying a barrier having a series of openings formed therethrough, and individual pockets surrounding the respective openings, some of the pockets being upon one side of the barrier and others upon the opposite side thereof.

2. A game apparatus embodying a barrier having a series of openings formed therethrough, and individual pockets surrounding the openings and arranged alternately at opposite sides of the barrier.

3. A game apparatus embodying a barrier made up of a substantially horizontal inflexible support, and a plurality of individuallyspaced pockets carried thereby, some of the pockets opening at one side of the support and others opening at the opposite side thereof.

4. A game apparatus embodying a barrier made up of a substantially horizontal support, and a plurality of pockets carried thereby and opening alternately at opposite sides 7 of the support.

5. A game apparatus embodying a barrier having a series of openings formed therethrough, individual pockets surrounding the respective openings, some of the pockets being disposed upon one side of the barrier and others upon the opposite side thereof, and legstandards to support the barrier in an elevated position.

6. A game apparatus embodying a detachably-jointed substantially horizontal barrier, terminal leg-standards detachably connected to the barrier, horizontal substantially U- shaped spring-clips carried by the leg-standards for embracing the edges of the table, and pockets carried by the barrier, said pockets opening alternately at opposite sides of the barrier.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed mysignature in the presence of two witnesses.

GRACE H. STULTS.

Witnesses:'

FLORA F. LOWE, ALICE E. FARRINGTON. 

